In a small town in Florida, a disabled Army vet received help when he was on the verge of losing his home because he couldn’t afford a new roof. In Kansas, proceeds from the raffle of a new home went to help fight childhood cancer. In Texas, victims of a damaging storm and unscrupulous swindlers had new roofs installed and their faith in people restored.

In each case, Atlas Roofing and local contractors stepped in to nail shingles and improve people’s lives, just as they do across the nation on a regular basis.

“A well-installed roof with quality roofing products can represent a big improvement in someone’s life,” says Kirk Villar, vice president of sales and marketing, roof shingles and underlayment at Atlas Roofing Corporation. “Shingles can help build communities, and we are proud to partner with roofing contractors to help make that happen.”

Here are three stories of Atlas Roofing and local contractors making life better for people who needed help.

Assisting a Veteran

On a cul-de-sac in Ocoee, Fla., neighbors still take care of one another. Art Burkholder, a 74-year-old retired and disabled veteran, recently discovered that human kindness, compassion and charity are still alive and well in our world.

Burkholder, a former Army sergeant, has lived in his home since 1989. He suffered a stroke in 1998 and a heart attack just two years later. Now Burkholder, who lives on a modest fixed income, is battling cancer.

When Burkholder’s home insurance lapsed, he couldn’t get it renewed without having a new roof installed. And without insurance, his bank placed him into a state of forced foreclosure.

He couldn’t afford to fix the roof, and he couldn’t afford to move. Burkholder received the foreclosure notice in August of 2016. In a panic, he finally went to neighbor Tami Kneidinger for help.

Those who live on Burkholder’s street are like a close-knit family. Kneidinger, who lived next door to Burkholder for 15 years, and his other neighbors put together a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money needed to install a new roof. They wanted to keep him at home, near the people who care about him.

The campaign raised about a third of what was needed to fix Burkholder’s roof—nowhere near the goal. So Kneidinger and another neighbor started writing letters asking for help.

One of the letters came to the attention of Victor Osage of G & A Certified Roofing in Winter Park, Fla., and Colin Hobbs of Atlas Roofing, who agreed to supply Burkholder with 33 squares of shingles directly from Atlas.

“It was an honor to be able to do this for Mr. Burkholder,” Osage says. “He is a wonderful man and obviously loved by his entire neighborhood.”

Thanks to G & A Certified Roofing and Atlas Roofing, together with Kneidinger and all of Burkholder’s generous neighbors, the Army vet is no longer facing foreclosure. “If it weren’t for Atlas, none of this would have worked out,” says Kneidinger.

Keeping Dreams Alive

Since 1962, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has devoted itself to finding cures for diseases and treating sick children. Founded by stage and screen comedian Danny Thomas and two friends on the premise that “no child should die in the dawn of life,” discoveries at St. Jude’s have changed the way doctors treat children with childhood cancers and other life-threatening illnesses.

As a nonprofit organization, St. Jude’s depends on events such as the Dream Home Giveaway for ongoing financial support. Held in 30 locations around the nation this year, the Dream Home Giveaway raffles off a new home built by contractors who donate time and materials to the project. Tickets are $100 each and only a limited number are sold in each city. All proceeds go to St. Jude.

For the second consecutive year, the builder of the Dream Home, Nies Homes, has partnered with St. Jude to bring the successful fundraiser to Wichita, Kan. After selling more than 6,500 tickets in just six days for a total donation of $650,000 in 2016, Nies Homes was eager to do its part once again in 2017. This year’s goal was to sell 8,500 tickets at $100 apiece for a total donation of $850,000. The 3,814-square-foot Dream Home will be awarded in a live ceremony on May 17.

Bella Bush, the face of Wichita’s St. Jude Dream Home, is a true example of determination and positivity in the face of almost insurmountable odds. At 18 months old, Bella was diagnosed with a tumor on her optic nerve. She had surgery, but doctors were only able to remove a quarter of the tumor because of its location. Had doctors removed the entire tumor, she would have been blind. Bella soon began her first round of chemotherapy, which lasted a full year, sending her cancer into remission.

Unfortunately, in 2016, Bella’s family learned her tumor had returned. Just as Nies was breaking ground on Kansas’ first St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway house, Bella began treatment again and, despite several different types of chemo, the tumor continues to grow.

Nies Homes Vice President Curtis Cowgill is inspired by Bella’s determination. “When you think about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and all it does to provide comfort to families and children facing the battle of their lives, it touches something in all of us,” Cowgill says.

“We are honored to be a part of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway builder team. This home-building experience is a community effort,” he continues. “And it’s humbling to build a home together knowing the result will help ensure that the work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital can continue, bringing smiles and care to its young patients and families while finding cures to end childhood cancer.”

Dan Phillips, owner of R. Phillips Roofing Inc., has served the Wichita community for 36 years. After working on the first St. Jude Dream Home, Phillips was eager to participate again. Crews installed Atlas Summit 60 synthetic underlayment, followed by GlassMaster Performance Fiberglass Shingles. The roof was then capped with 50 squares of Pro-Cut Hip & Ridge shingles.

The roof of the St. Jude home included all of the components to qualify for the Atlas Signature Select Roofing System. The premium protection period includes full system coverage, non-prorated labor and materials, and tear-off and disposal costs when needed.

“The St. Jude Dream Home represents proof that good people can come together for something that is much bigger than any one of us,” Phillips says. “I made sure to get four of my best guys to lay down the roof in just over a day. We’re all very proud of the work we accomplished.”

Atlas Roofing is proud to be part of St. Jude’s mission and congratulates Nies Homes and R. Phillips Roofing for their support of the St. Jude Dream Home. The quality roofing materials will help the home protect its occupants and also be a symbol of hope for children afflicted by serious illnesses.

Righting Wrongs

Tink and Bobbye Calfee were devastated when they realized they were victims of an $11,000 roofing scam. The couple put their trust in a contractor who took their money and promised to fix their roof after a series of storms ripped through their Conroe, Texas, neighborhood in May 2016.

Today, the Calfees and other swindled homeowners in their neighborhood have new roofs over their heads thanks to Always Great Service (AGS) of Cypress, Texas, Atlas Roofing and StormScamHelp.com. The new roofs were provided to the homeowners free of charge.

“My husband has heart trouble, and I thought he was going to have a heart attack worrying so about it,” Bobbye Calfee says. “It’s been marvelous that somebody came in and helped us.”

Local media documented the homeowners’ plight and the assistance offered by StormScamHelp.com, a watchdog organization founded by Genesis Contractor Solutions (GCS), based in Englewood, Colo. GCS partnered with Atlas Roofing and AGS to put new roofs on each of the affected homes. Atlas Roofing donated the shingles while AGS provided the labor.

Diane Peoples, Atlas Roofing’s marketing and communications manager, traveled to the community in Conroe and says “This was a coordinated effort to make things right and give back to the community.”

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January/February 2018

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About Roofing

Roofing is a national publication that unravels, investigates and analyzes how to properly design, install and maintain a roof system. Through the voices of professionals in the field, Roofing’s editorial provides a unique perspective.